Category Archives: Books

Every time the occasion presents itself to visit a new bookstore, I never miss it. Used bookstores are especially tempting, because yes, books are cheaper, but also because it’s a good way to find old books you’ve never heard of or that you couldn’t find elsewhere.

Today, I’d like to showcase a used bookstore in Virginia that I visited recently, Hole in the Wall.

The bookstore is a book lover’s dream (at least it was to me!): books are piling up everywhere in this little store. It feels like a treasure quest looking at all the books. From history, to sci-fi, to mystery, comics, business-related, chances are you’ll find a book or two that you’ll be interested in (of course I did find a couple of books!).

There’s parking space behind the store that you can access via the adjacent S Spring St.

They instictively move about one another in the narrowest corners without even the subtlest brushing of hips. There are no burns or cuts, no pans dropped, no spills or messes made. Its practitioners call this performance ‘the dance’.

I have to start by saying that I was pleasantly surprised by how I enjoyed reading Gibney’s book. I expected to like it – or I wouldn’t have entered the giveaway for the book, but I enjoyed it more expected.

Gibney takes us with him for one day in his life as a sous-chef. He shows us through his very good writing every minute of the day of a sous-chef on a busy Friday with a restaurant expected to accommodate 300 guests in just a few hours.

From the moment he enters the restaurant to get everything ready to the following morning, we witness all the meticulous and essential steps that are taken by him, the head chef, the other sous-chef, the cooks, the waiters, and all the staff so that clients can enjoy a perfect evening at the restaurant. We also get a taste of what a busy life his is.

As the rhythm accelerates during the evening to accommodate an increasing number of guests, as well as food critics and journalists, we witness “the dance” and what it takes to perform it.

Anyone interested in professional cooking, being a cook or chef, or simply people who enjoy going out for dinner, should enjoy this book. It is extremely interesting to learn how the meals we order come to life in the kitchen, and what it takes to work as a sous-chef. This read is quick, simple, but well-written, original, and authentic.

Disclosure: I received the following book for free through Goodreads First Reads. Opinions remain my own. I have not been compensated for this review. Pictures in this post were done by yours truly.

First, please, have no fear: this is not another diet book. This is not a juicing diet book.

The title is a little misleading. The subtitle of the book is “Advice and Recipes to Energize, Alkalize, Lose Weight, and Feel Great.”
In fact the author states it himself: the diet part is about advising you to add green drinks (if you don’t already) to your daily diet, because of all the benefits you can get from them.

Broccolean

Broccolean

Now I can see and hear some of you (hubby first in line) make faces and complain: “what you mean green drinks? Like carrot juice or, worse, spinach juice?”

Well, yes and no. This little book is full of recipes for both smoothies and juices, some of them include fruits, some of them do not, but the author says you can always add an apple if you feel the need for something a little “sweeter” than a vegetable-only juice.

Cold-Killah

Cold-Killah

In addition to the many recipes, the author shares a lot of information on the benefits of adding juices to your diet, detailing the benefits for many different greens, from beet greens, to dandelion, to kale. The fruit section is a little less detailed, but that was okay since the information can be found pretty easily. There is also a section on the so-called superfoods.

I personally love both fruit and vegetable juices. I absolutely love a fresh carrot juice! The thing is that if you want to juice a carrot, or kale, you need a juicer. Not all recipes in this book require a juicer though. In fact, for many of them you will only need a blender. I, like the author, tend to favor the blender to the juicer because the latter requires more time to clean, time we don’t always have.

Dande-Lemon

Dande-Lemon

So what will you find in these recipes? Well, pretty much all the fruits you can imagine. I mostly tested vegetable-only juices and those, depending on the recipe, contained beets, radishes, radish greens, cucumber, kale, mint, carrots, etc.

Green Clean

Green Clean

Is it good? Yes! I really liked most of those I tried; a couple I found the taste a little bland, so I added a little salt or Tabasco. Also, don’t let the color put you off. The Anti-toxi-mint didn’t have the most appetizing color, yet it was one of my favorites!

Anti-toxi-mint

Anti-toxi-mint

Each recipe is accompanied by a beautiful picture and, most importantly, the health benefits of the recipe.

It is a nice book to get ideas for green smoothies and juices and inspiration to make your own recipes! You can also find more about the book and its author, Jason Manheim, on the website Healthy Green Drink.

Let me start by a FTC disclosure related remark: I was not paid to write this review, I did not even receive the book to review it. I simply picked it up in a library and loved it so much that I wanted to talk about it here.

Now that we are done with the digital red tape, let’s talk more interesting subjects: like books and Texan cuisine.

When we took the decision to move to Texas, I picked up some books at the local library to learn more about the State of Texas: tourist guides, history books and cookbooks (of course!). We knew a little about Texas already and had already been to Dallas, plus we have friends here, but there is always more to learn and every opportunity to learn through books is an opportunity not to be missed, as far as I’m concerned :-)

This cookbook is not just a collection of recipes. The author, Paula Disbrowe, chef, food and travel writer, moved from New York to Texas, to live in a ranch.
Besides the fact that Disbrowe was originally from New York (which I did not know when I borrowed the book, I was just looking for local cuisine recipes) and that she had spent some time in Europe, I loved how she told her story going from high heels to cowboy hats and boots. She shares her discoveries, her encounters with scorpions (I particularly liked this part!), her fun, and her passion for good food.

Who hasn’t fantasized about leaving behind the chaos of everyday life and moving someplace where life is simpler? Well, that’s just what chef and food writer Paula Disbrowe did when she left New York City and moved to Texas. She traded her subway MetroCard for a pickup truck and her stiletto heels for a pair of down-home cowboy boots.

In Cowgirl Cuisine, Paula tells her story through food. She weaves together romance, adventure, and more than a few laughs as she celebrates the beauty of flavorful food, fresh air, and her own wholesome recipes, all while taking home cooks on a journey well off the beaten path.

Although I did not move to a ranch, nor am I a chef, I identified with the parts about moving from New York to Texas, and the love of good food immediately.

Nevertheless, this book was a cookbook, so I had to try the recipes. Well, it certainly didn’t disappoint. Here’s more from the publisher:

Like Texas itself, the recipes in Cowgirl Cuisine are big-hearted and bold — whole-grain muffins bursting with berries, salads loaded with leafy herbs and avocado, and fiery bowls of chili. Paula’s food is healthful and full of nutrients, but this is not a diet cookbook — cowgirls don’t have time to count calories (besides, they burn it all off hoisting newborn calves, hiking the hills, and galloping off on long trail rides). Instead, this is food that is satisfying and easy to prepare, which leaves plenty of time for living life to the fullest.

I first chose three recipes to try. Then four, five, six… They were all easy to make, even those which required some more time to realize (like the dulce de leche flan). There is never a hint of arrogance in her recipes (like there can be in other books – yes, I do have one or two in mind) but they end up simply delicious.

I can’t buy all cooking books I want (obviously), so sometimes I just borrow the ones I’m interesting in at the library. This one I liked so much that I plan to buy it. I have to try each recipe!

Here are pictures of the recipes I have tried. Unfortunately, I did not take pictures of the Milk Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies and that was a mistake because they were mighty good!

Does someone in your family or among your friends love soups? My mother does. I do too. If you are still looking for a Christmas present for this soup lover, or if you just want to make this person happy, look no further! I’ve got a great gift idea.

Back to this summer.
I saw a post on The Nourishing Gourmet, that I follow: the author of the blog, Kimberly Harris, also the author of Fresh: Nourishing Salads for All Seasons, was looking for testers for her new book. I didn’t hesitate a second and offered my help.
Although my contribution was small – and I hope it helped -, it gave me the opportunity to try delicious soup recipes. From then, I knew that the book would be great, a book I would like to have in my cooking book library and that I would like to offer.

Ladled: Nourishing Soups for All Seasons contains all sorts of nourishing soups (120 recipes) from broths and simple soups, to stews, to vegetable soups, to soups inspired by restaurants’ recipes, to hearty soups, to chilled soups, to porridges and rice congees… Whether you like your soups light and simple, or with meat, or grains, or seafood, or vegetables, creamy or not, or a mix of some of these, options are huge and the results are delicious.

The book also contains some recipes for sides you might want to serve with your soups, as well as recipes for homemade stocks, questions and answers about grains, an ingredient guide, and some recommendations regarding some basic cooking preparation techniques.

The book is full of beautiful pictures, one for each recipe.

Like for any cooking book recipe I should review, I like to test the recipes first. When I first tested some this summer, I did not take any picture (silly me!) because I wasn’t supposed to post about them, of course!
When I received the book a little more than a week ago, I intended to try at least five of them, but time and the season caught up on me, and that’s why the pictures are limited.
It doesn’t change the fact that soups I tried this summer as well as in the past few days were all delicious, nourishing and, most importantly perhaps, full of flavors! They were also easy to prepare.

I invite you to check this book. If you love soups, offer yourself this book (this is Christmas, after all!).

Please, also check the author’s blog for more about the book:
– Q and A: Ladled’s Recipe Index
– Ladled is Here! (this post includes links to 4 recipes from the book, including the Italian Zucchini and Sausage Soup featured below)

Italian Zucchini and Sausage Soup

Italian Zucchini and Sausage Soup

Italian Zucchini and Sausage Soup

Spanish Garlic Soup

Spanish Garlic Soup

Spanish Garlic Soup

Korean Oxtail Soup

Korean Oxtail Soup

***Disclaimer: I received a review copy of the book. This review is my opinion only and receiving the book did not influence it. Pictures are pictures I took myself of the book and of recipes I tried from the book.***

This is my third participation in 23 PAWS (you can check the first one here and the second one here).

What is 23 PAWS? It is a way for pet lovers who have a blog to “party” (pawty?) online every 23rd of the month, by blogging about pets (their pets, their family’s or friends’ pets). Another reason to blog about your pet ;-) PAWS is also an acronym for “play.adore.wag.scratch.”
Check here to learn more.

~~~

My cat Texas is a socialite. He has his own blog and occasionally, he attends virtual “pawties” on Twitter.

He recently attended a virtual book signing party on Twitter organized by fellow blogger and kitty heroine of his, Sparkle. Sparkle is a beautiful Somali Ladycat and I think my cat Texas is a little in love.

If you want to read my cat’s review, you can follow the link above. I wanted to seize the occasion of 23 PAWS to share with furry friends lovers – especially cat lovers – my human review of the book.

The book is claimed to be written by Sparkle, the beautiful Somali kitty I mentioned above, and clearly it can only have been written by a cat! No human would have the wits and humor that Sparkle demonstrates.

The book is a compilation of letters sent to Sparkle by desperate kitties looking for answers to their problems.

Silly? Not at all! Every human who is owned by a cat should read this book. It is full of witty advice on cat-human relationships and on diverse cat issues, such as cat toys and games, litter box issues or a kitty’s sense of ownership of your stuff. It will enable humans to better understand cats. It will enable YOU to better understand (your) cats.

The book is very well written and a pleasure to read. It is funny and serious at the same time: the last letter of the book to which Sparkle answers is particularly moving and should be read by any human planning to visit a shelter to adopt a kitty. No spoiler here, you should really read the book! You won’t regret it.

The book is also full of beautiful pictures of the author, Sparkle.

If you happen to already love cats, you should definitely get this book. If you aren’t a cat person (yet), you might be surprised to find out that, after reading this book, you’ll want to give it a try. Seriously.
The book also makes a lovely and funny present for the cat lovers you know.

[This book was won through my cat’s blog. Receiving the book and having my cat make me read it did not influence my opinion]

After receiving many an invitation, I finally opened an account at Goodreads. I had nothing against opening an account there – I read a lot and I like to have a place to list my books online. But I already had an account with Anobii and didn’t want to multiply the accounts. But since many friends were on Goodreads and Anobii had been a little disappointing lately… Goodreads had me at hello… create a free account.

Then what? What’s the link with the book review announced in the title of this post? Let’s keep a long, off-topic story short: I noticed that Goodreads had giveaways of review copies of books that were released. I entered for a couple of books I was interested in and was the lucky winner of a copy of “True Food: Seasonal, Sustainable, Simple, Pure” by Andrew Weil, Sam Fox, Michael Stebner, and published by Little, Brown and Company.

My mother has long been a fan of Dr. Andrew Weil. I was hence eager to discover this recipe book with such a colorful, yummy bowl on the cover.
On the other hand, I was a little concerned that “true food” could mean, like it sometimes is these days in recipe books, difficult-to-find ingredients used in complicated recipes.

This book of recipes and its title did not come out of the blue: they are inspired by or part of the menu of the True Food Kitchen, a restaurant founded by the authors. Here is a quote from the restaurant’s website:

You don’t have to be a die-hard Yogi to dine at True Food Kitchen. You need only a desire to give your body nutrients, and your palate something memorable. The basis for Dr. Andrew Weil’s anti-inflammatory diet isn’t meant to deprive a healthy body of great flavors, it’s meant to take popular trends in cuisine and pair them with healthy living. Try the kale and quinoa, you’ll live longer. Drink the seabuckthorn and acai, you’ll feel better. At True Food Kitchen, we want you to feel better, live longer, and make your mouth happy in the process.

This is a beautiful, 200+ pages, cooking book, full of colored pictures of the recipes. I also liked the matt paper used. As opposed to glossy paper, you won’t get traces of fingerprints on it. Plus it gives a somehow vintage look to it.

The book is divided into ten recipe sections from “Breakfast,” to “Soups & Chilis,” to “Vegetables,” to “Desserts” and “Basics.” The “Basics” section includes recipes of vinaigrettes, sauces or stocks used in other recipes of the book. The book also starts with an introduction in form of an interview of the three authors: “The Doctor, the Chef, and the Restaurateur.” Finally, a very useful “True Food Pantry” section lists food that may be new to some readers. Very practical.

I wanted to try several recipes before writing the review. I more or less picked them here and there in the book rather than choosing them. They were all easy to prepare and never necessitated a huge amount of time in the kitchen. All recipes also turned out delicious (more than simply good) and nutritious. I especially loved the salads (add me to the list of raw kale salad fans!).

I was slightly disappointed by the two desserts I tried though, finding them good but almost difficult to digest. My husband liked them very much though so it might be only me!

If I had a 1-to-5 rating scale, I would give it a firm 4.

Kale Salad

Kale Salad

Roasted Butternut Squash, Apple, and Pomegranate Salad

Roasted Butternut Squash, Apple, and Pomegranate Salad

Roasted Butternut Squash, Apple, and Pomegranate Salad

Bison Chili

Bison Chili

Miso-Marinated Black Cod

Miso-Marinated Black Cod

Chocolate Icebox Tart

Chocolate Pudding

Chocolate Pudding

Now if you would excuse me, I have some more recipes from the book I would like to try A.S.A.P. ;-)

***Disclaimer: I received the book for free thanks to Goodreads First Reads. This review is my opinion only and receiving the book did not influence it. Pictures are pictures I took myself of the book and of recipes I tried from the book.***

The following pictures were taken with my P&S the last week of September, on one of our last sunny days here. The view is from Bryant Park, in New York.

*““The fish is my friend too,” he said aloud. “I have never seen or heard of such a fish. But I must kill him. I am glad we do not have to try to kill the stars.”
Imagine if each day a man must try to kill the moon, he thought. The moon runs away. But imagine if a man each day should have to try to kill the sun? We were born lucky, he thought.”The Old Man and the Sea – Ernest Hemingway